


Beyond the Sunset

by Snappy



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Awkward Romance, Dorks in Love, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, if that isnt a tag yet it is now, its monando: what do you expect?, sexy science, this fic is a walking spoiler lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-26 22:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2668028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snappy/pseuds/Snappy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Klaus and Meyneth celebrate the success of Project Monado with their coworkers on Earth before going back to space to test it for the final time. Klaus reminisces on things that haven't happened yet, and Meyneth becomes enamored with an in-depth analysis of her colleague.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beyond the Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> this is 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of collective fanon headcanons that are hardly referenced in the game, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and a 100% reason to throw me in the trash where i belong.
> 
> sighs seriously though. the xenoblade tumblr fandom has the most convoluted painful headcanons for these two and i love everyone involved in this while simultaneously hating everyone involved. monando.

It’s a humble venue, overall rather fitting for the event. A band nestled in the corner of the rooftop played relaxing bal-musette near the hors d’oeuvres table. A large banner was hung above the entrance with the words “ _Congratulations, Project Monado!_ ” written in elegant cursive script along with the names of all the persons involved. The orange glow of the sunset flared around the corners of the skyline as dusk approached, forming a gigantic silouette around the city.

The party seemed to be going well. Everyone was enjoying themselves, making inane small talk reminiscing over past reverie. Meyneth had just excused herself from a conversational lull to fetch another class of champagne when she noticed Klaus, standing isolated and alone at the far end of the roof. He was perched carefully, leaning over the balcony as he overlooked the vast, glowing cityscape with a sort of far-off look in his eyes. Without hesitation, Meyneth walked towards him.

“Klaus?” she called quietly, approaching. He was startled slightly, nearly losing his balance on the railing. “…You seemed a bit melancholic there by yourself. Do you mind?” she continues.

“Hm? No, no I don’t mind.”

An awkward silence. Meyneth breaks it.

“You know if there’s anything troubling you that I’m always willing to talk abou—“

“I’m not upset. I suppose I’m just a bit...twitterpated, I suppose.” he juts in with a sigh, effectively cutting her off mid-sentence.

"...About what?"

“You see that, Meyneth?” he points out towards the city, “We’re gonna be there, sooner than you know it.” Klaus says, and there’s an airiness to his voice that sounds completely unlike him.

Meyneth’s brow furrows. “…In…New Los Angeles?”

Klaus chuckled before taking another quick sip of champagne and leaning further onto the balcony, his posture relaxing as he listlessly gazed at the view in front of him.

"Of course not, you gearhead. We’re gonna be further than that, far behind the city and past the horizon. Project Monado proceeds with final stage testing in less than a month. Everything we’ve been working towards these past years—it leads up to this.”

Meyneth sat against the balcony as well, her back facing the skyline as she tilts her head in curiousity. “I…don’t quite understand what you’re getting at here. Klaus. You aren’t usually the one to dabble in poetics and abstract ideas.”

“Hah! A theoretical biophysicist isn’t usually the one to ‘dabble in abstract ideas’?” he snaps, albeit a bit sharper than intended. Meyneth visibly reacts, hurt, and Klaus exhales deeply before continuing. “Meyneth, _please_. We’re going to change the world. More than the world, even! You and I are going to go places no one else has even _dreamed_ of! And you’re telling me you don’t find that to be the most exciting thing in your career? No, not even your career—! This is easily the most exciting thing anyone has ever done in their entire pitiful lives and everyone here is preoccupied with… with petty domesticity and social mass media phenomena and…and expensive ice sculpture centerpieces for a party that’s only purpose is draining our valuble research funds!”

Klaus is fuming—he obviously did not intend to become so heated in that rant of hers. But Meyneth is more than happy to be emotional outlet of support for him. He swirls the remaining champagne around in his glass for a moment before downing it all in one swig. A hand rises to his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he lets out a long, dejected sigh.

 “Meyneth—we are walking into the unknown. We are to become the pioneers of new worlds beyond the sky itself. That’s…It’s…!” He stops suddenly midsentence, trying to find the right words to say what he means. “I don’t understand how no one else can bother to care about something so monumental. It’s important to me. ” Klaus mutters.

Meyneth felt that, for the first time,  she was looking upon Klaus in his most pure, vulnerable state. Instead of his usual sullen, sleep-deprived eyes, Klaus had a glint in his eye that seemed to observe the world with an innocent, childlike fascination; a burning desire to investigate everything until he knows it well enough to effortlessly take it apart and put it together again. Instead of the irritated, curt tone he usually spoke with, his voice possessed a lulling, rhythmic cadence, like an actor standing centerstage delivering his final soliloquy on closing night. Meyneth had never seen Klaus be so open about what his thoughts on the project were—he was usually the most tight-lipped researcher on the satelite, discussing only the necessary analytical data. This, in turn, led many of the crew to believe that Klaus cared very little for the experiment and its outcome. But it became clear now that he had been holding back on expressing how passionate he truly was, potentially out of fear of letting his colleagues see a potentially weaker, more sensitive side of himself.

Even his body language was different. Klaus was often the one to hold himself tall and upright at all times, but his current posture was relaxed and casual. Even when she finds him hunched over the desk in the lab asleep, he always looks tense. Meyneth took careful note of the way he distributed the bulk of his weight onto one side of his body, causing his hip to jut out at an angle while the opposite leg draped itself atop the other, the toe of his scuffed up dress shoe perpendicular to the concrete roof. He leaned nonchalantly onto the balcony rail, creating a rather attractive curve in his back as it arched downward in the middle before slowly sloping back up to meet his shoulders. He held the empty champagne glass limply in one hand, the neck of the glass balanced precariously between his index and middle fingers. If even the slightest gust of wind blowed through it seemed to Meyneth he would lose his grip and the glass would fall to the city below, shattering on the sidewalk much to the chagrin of the passersby. His chin rested upon his other hand, his open palm curving around his sharp jaw, fingers tapping idly against his cheek as he stares off into the distance, thinking to himself.

Klaus was always a handsome young man, that much was clear—he was tall, lithe, and held himself with an air confidence that made you want to follow in his footsteps. But the way he held himself against the balcony tonight was more than handsome—Klaus looked absolutely stunning, Meyneth thought. He had long abandonded his suit jacket in favor of rolling up the sleeves of his dress-shirt up to his elbows, leaving his forearms fully exposed. It was apparent now his slacks were illfitting; were it not for the black suspenders slung over each shoulder his waistline would be threateningly low. His tie—that ratty, striped blue tie he wore every day to work; note to self, buy Klaus a new tie for the Christmas party—was already loosened around his collar in addition to opening the top button of his shirt. Meyneth chuckled to herself—it was easy to dress a man up for an event, but to expect him to not shed a few layers of fanciness as the night wore on was too high of an expectation. Granted, she was certainly one to talk, having slipped off her stilellos a few minutes ago for comfort, despite the fact that her hose would certainly run and be ruined by the end of the evening.

Neither of them had said anything for a while in favor of quietly standing next to each other, looking upon the horizon as the sun finally relinquished its hold on the evening, leaving the city lights and the stars to illuminate the rooftop. Meyneth couldn’t help but notice the way the moonlight reflected off of Klaus’ face, perfectly showcasing his profile—blond wispy fringe covering his forehead, a snipe nose pointing downwards and those lush, soft-looking lips. They looked warm and inviting, and perhaps it was the champagne talking, but…  

N-No! What is she thinking? To consider such lucrative thoughts about a colleague—! It’s absurd! It’s depraved and absurd. Best to shuffle the thoughts out of her mind as soon as possible. Her analysis of Klaus’ current form was strictly scientific in nature.

But, then again, there they were:  a big, bustling city on a mysterious rooftop as dusk waned away into the night, all were costumed in stunning formalwear with drinks in hand as the quiet band played them into the night—it felt too cinematic to be true. The mood was fitting, however, and she half-expected Klaus to suddenly embrace her and dip her down into a tight, loving, passionate kiss as the wind blows through their hair and his arms tighten around her shoulders while the music shifts into a slow waltz and _absolutely not!_ No! She found herself doing the exact same thing again, even after berating the behaviour! How embarassing. Meyneth hoped desperately that it was too dark to see the blush that filled her flustered face.

She took a final sip from her champagne glass and set it on the ground next to her shoes before standing next to Klaus on the ledge, albeit a bit closer than before.

“Klaus,” Meyneth said, catching his attention away from the cityscape. “I always found it odd how you outwardly showed little regard towards the project while putting so much work into it despite. Long after the rest of our team had returned to their rooms, you often worked early into the morning conducting additional trials in the lab. I could never quite figure out what motivated you to put so much energy into something you appeared to care little about. But…I think it’s all very clear now. Monado means more than the world to you. You’re just too sheepish to say so. You’ve built up such a stone-faced, unfeeling façade around your coworkers that this apathy has become part of your identity—you feel compelled to remain reserved even with topics that excite you. ”

Meyneth pauses, contemplating whether or not to go forward with the words she had planned out to say next. “And…while I tend to be more transparent with my feelings, there are still things that I feel intense infatuation for that I often do not boldly flaunt for fear of embarassing myself. Perhaps this may just be my opinion, and I openly admit to having no data to back up this point,  but I have reason to believe you as well are experiencing the same thing I am.”

Klaus tilts his head and gives you his undivided attention as he waits for clarification on the aforementioned variable.  He’s shifted his weight to the opposite leg now to be able to face you full-front.

Meyneth takes a deep breath and resumes. “Klaus, I… You are important to me. Strikingly so. Heading the project with you has been an absolute joy. I just feel that…” Meyneth stops again.The words she wants to say are coming out clumisly and chaotic, she can’t seem to get a simple point across. Klaus is still looking at her, expecting a reply, and she feels suddenly very self aware and scrutinized. Her eyes are glued to the floor, observing the outline of his shadow cascading onto the ground.

“Meyneth? Is…something wrong?” Klaus asks, and his voice is caring and soft and suddenly Meyneth is feeling very flustered and

“I hypothesize if you were to kiss me right now, then I would not object to reciprocating,” she blurts. The words come spilling out before she has time to properly consider what it was she said, the lack of discretion likely due to the impulsive behaviours caused by the alcohol. Her cheeks fill with rouge and her hands fumble with the charms on her bracelet as she waits for the inevitable backlash to strike.

Klaus does end up dropping the glass off the rooftop by accident, and Meyneth winces. Oh god. This was like an embarassing high-school confession. What was she thinking?  _What was she thinking?_

Klaus hesitates slightly before reaching his hand out to brush her cheeks with the back of his hand. Meyneth tenses instantly when he cups her face in his palms and leans down so they are face to face before gingerly tilting her chin up to make eye contact.

“I propose we move on with the procedure,” he whispers, and then his lips meet hers in a sort of clumsy, awkward lip mash. Both are too timid to open their lips and instead stay content with the warmth of the other so close, their heart rates high and breath tickling each other’s face. Cautiously, Meyneth wraps her arms around his shoulders and stands tip-toe in order to better meet his height. Klaus takes the cue as an excuse to see what happens if he opens his lips a bit, and Meyneth does the same. Neither of them are very good at this, and it’s evident that both of them are aware of this fact, as they break away slowly and blush, actively avoiding the other’s eyes.

They didn’t notice the party gradually shift focus towards them until they broke apart to be greeted by an audience of their colleagues, all staring at the two of them with wide eyes and sly side-smiles.

“Cough it up Eva, you _totally_ owe me fifty bucks.”

“It was bound to happen eventually.”

“I thought our division had a strict ban on workplace romance?”

“Let it go. Those two have been head-over-heels since the project began.”

Now it was Klaus’ turn to blush. Meyneth doesn’t know whether to laugh or hide her head in her hands—who’d have known they had a fan club?

“P-Perhaps we should, err, head back to the l-lab to conduct another round of trials?” Meyneth said meekly.

“A-Ah. Yes.  Ahem. Of course. Perhaps we could, uh, in addition, use the, erm. P-P-Previous trial as a. Control sample. A-And add m…”

“Add more variables to the sample set?” Meyneth finished for him, catching his not-so-subtle drift as she entwined her fingers with his.

* * *

 

It’s by no accident the keycard to Klaus’ hotel room mysteriously goes missing.  And, given that the two tipsy scientists were experts at the top of their fields in heuristic problem solving, the only logical solution to the indicident was for both of them to scurry into Meyneth’s room like  overexcited children, giggling and holding hands before carefully ensuring the door was locked, as to ensure no unauthorized personel gains access to the lab during testing.

The next morning, Meyneth wakes up with the curtains of her room open wide enough for sunlight to drip onto the crisp, paper white sheets entangled between limbs on the bed. Everything around her had a bright, healthy glow, and for a moment she contemplates the possibility of waking up and getting ready. However, the warm embrace of lanky arms tethered around her waist easily convinced her otherwise. Klaus’ breath was slow and drawn out on her skin and the lullabic rise and fall of his chest pressed against hers provided the perfect enviorment for her to willingly forget about any pre-planned events she had this morning and blissfully fall back asleep. In his arms.

If one thing was absolutely certain, the results of the experiment had proven their hypothesis true, ending in a resounding success for all involved. But like all successful  scientific studies, it’s only valid if the experiment can be repeated and produce the same results. So, it seemed, there was still more work to do.

          …Not that either of them would surely mind.

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(´∇｀)_/¯ i didn't write out the smut but it was probably passionate and kinky. maybe more. imagine.
> 
> this album fuk me http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/various553


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